Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
were power drums or discs standard on the 1973 Monte Carlo S? I ask because a test in CR's rendered the car conditionally acceptable, and i don't remember what the condition was to render the car to be acceptable to CR's. Either the car had be fitted with discs or the car had to be made after a certain point in the production year. i remember it had to do something with the power brake booster not producing sufficient boost, causing the brakes to "fade alarmingly"
the same thing with that year's Olds Omega, tho i know for sure that one was tested with power drums and i think the car swerved dangerously. i think the remedy for the car to be acceptable was for the car to be ordered with discs
I'm pretty sure that vintage Monte was power front disk/rear drums, as many cars were from the late 60s to many years after that. I bought an '81 Monte new and I believe it was front disk/rear drum as well.
Last edited by CrownVic95; 05-05-2013 at 12:44 PM..
I may be wrong but I believe by 1973 the U.S. gov't mandated all new cars to have front discs. Also I've never heard of a Monte carlo S....I have heard of a Cutlass S.
1973
A redesigned Monte Carlo was introduced alongside other GM intermediates. Like other GM mid-size cars, the 1973 Monte Carlo was no longer a hardtop, but a pillared coupe with rear side opera windows and frameless door glass. Prominent styling features included dual headlights flanking an egg-crate grille with a Monte Carlo emblem in front and vertical taillights above the bumper. The front bumper was a large federally mandated 5 mph (8.0 km/h) bumper that was among the required 1973 federal safety standards for all passenger cars sold in the U.S. with the 5 mph (8.0 km/h) requirement extended to rear bumpers on 1974 models. Also new was a double-shell roof for improved noise reduction and rollover protection along with the flush-mounted pull-up exterior door handles first introduced on the 1970 1⁄2 Camaro and 1971 full-sized Chevrolets and Vegas.
The separate body-on-frame construction carried over for 1973, as was the basic all-coil suspension.
For improved ride and handling, the 1973 Monte Carlo featured a number of innovations (for a large American car) such as standard radial-ply tires, Pliacell shock absorbers, high-caster steering, and front and rear anti-roll bars (previously offered only with the SS package). The standard Monte Carlo with manual transmission, retained "traditional" steering and bias-ply tires, but the radial-tuned system was included when the automatic transmission was ordered, earning the Monte Carlo S label.
A new model for 1973 was the Monte Carlo Landau, which was basically an "S" with a rear quarter Landau vinyl roof, Turbine II wheels and driver and passenger-side sport mirrors.
The interior of the 1973 Monte Carlo featured an all-new, wraparound cockpit-style instrument panel, similar to that found in some contemporary Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Buicks, in which gauges and various instruments were centered within easy reach of the driver. The simulated burl elm trim was retained. A split bench seat was standard, but "Strato Bucket" seats of a new design were optional, along with a floor console featuring an equally new shifter with knob and button similar to Pontiac's Rally Sports Shifter replacing the Buick-like horseshoe shifter of previous years, and storage compartment. The bucket seats were of a one-piece high-back design with built-in headrests, and could swivel some 90 degrees to permit the driver and front passenger easier entry and exit. Cloth and vinyl trims were offered with both the bench and bucket seats.
The standard engine was a 145 (net) hp (108 kW) 350 CID (5.7 L) Turbo-Fire V8. Optional engines included a 175 (net) hp (30 kW) 350 CID V8 with a four-barrel carburetor and a four-barrel carbureted 454 CID Turbo-Jet V8 rated at 245 (net) hp (183 kW).
The 1973 Monte Carlo was named Motor Trend's "Car of the Year", due to its new styling and emphasis on Euro-style ride and handling. The 1973 Monte Carlo set a new sales record for Chevrolet, with nearly 250,000 sold for the model year.
The success of the Monte Carlo and Pontiac's similar Grand Prix led to several new personal luxury cars from competitors, including subsequent Mercury Cougar, the Ford Torino Elite, the Chrysler Cordoba and restyled Dodge Charger, and even high-line versions of the AMC Matador, which got a swoopy new coupe design for 1974.
paragraph 2 talks about the "S" above. from wikipedia
Interesting. I figured the feds had a role in it, since they were all for safety and emissions in the 70's. I only mentioned this because I don't think I've ever seen a 1973-75 automobile that had front drums. In fact as I recall by 1973 the feds mandated the 3 point safety harnesses.
CR's tested a 73 Olds Omega that had power front drums. The car was deemed conditionally acceptable provided i think that the car had to be fitted with front discs instead. the power drums made the car swerve alarmingly
the 71 Duster my grandfather gave me in 1982 had non power front drums whereas the 71 Duster my dad had had power front discs. i never felt very confident braking with the former compared with the latter
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
